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This article was downloaded by: [Florida State University] On: 08 October 2014, At: 00:16 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Criminal Justice Matters Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcjm20 A call for action: engaging all communities Lee Jasper Published online: 13 Mar 2008. To cite this article: Lee Jasper (2006) A call for action: engaging all communities, Criminal Justice Matters, 64:1, 12-13, DOI: 10.1080/09627250608553180 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09627250608553180 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

A call for action: engaging all communities

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This article was downloaded by: [Florida State University]On: 08 October 2014, At: 00:16Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Criminal Justice MattersPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcjm20

A call for action: engaging all communitiesLee JasperPublished online: 13 Mar 2008.

To cite this article: Lee Jasper (2006) A call for action: engaging all communities, Criminal Justice Matters, 64:1, 12-13,DOI: 10.1080/09627250608553180

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09627250608553180

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose ofthe Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be reliedupon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shallnot be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and otherliabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to orarising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

A call for action:engaging all communities

Lee Jasper argues that ethnic disproportionality could beaddressed in part through community engagement.

Despite much improvement during recentyears and areas of impressive practice,a great deal more needs to be done to

ensure that community engagement is meaningfuland comprehensive, and that the rhetoric of justiceagencies is consistently turned into a reality. Publicconfidence in the criminal justice service - whilstimproved in many regions including London- remains much lower than it could and shouldbe, whilst the UK's diversity vividly highlights theneed for proactive engagement with all sections ofthe population. The need for engagement is alsohighlighted by the still emerging challenges posedby anti-terror policing and security operations whichmay impact disproportionately on particular sectionsof the community and which could be perceived bysome to be targeting communities that may alreadyonly have limited confidence in, or engagement with,the justice system. Nowhere is this more importantthan in London, where over 2.1 million peoplebelong to a black, Asian or minority ethnic group- 29 per cent of the capital's population.

The need to tackledisproportionalityThe challenges of ensuring effective communityengagement are set against a backdrop of adeeply disturbing situation where experiences ofoffending, victimisation and involvement with thecriminal justice service vary considerably amongdifferent ethnic groups. Nowhere can this be seenmore vividly than amongst the black population.Successive editions of the Home Office's Section95 Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice Systemhave shown that black people are significantly over-represented as suspects, defendants and offenders andsignificantly under-represented as criminal justiceworkers, especially at a senior level. In London,adult black people - who make up 10 per cent ofthe capital's population - make up 36 per cent ofstop and searches, 32 per cent of arrests, 29 per centof those accused, 27 per cent of those cautioned, 31per cent of those found guilty, 35 per cent of those inprison and 26 per cent of those on probation. This notonly undermines the confidence many communitieshave in criminal justice, but also risks perpetuatingstereotypes that may hinder meaningful engagement.Worryingly, this pattern shows no indication ofchanging: young black Londoners (aged under18) are three times as likely as white people to bestopped and searched. In some London boroughs

young black people are staggeringly up to 13-14times more likely than their white counterparts to bestopped and searched.

Whilst the causes of this over-representationare complex and some of the answers lie outsidethe justice system, research - including fromthe Government itself - has shown that it cannotbe wholly explained by the extent and nature ofoffending. The clear implication of this is that thereis direct and institutional racism towards blackpeople within the justice system that is not beingadequately addressed. This arguably reflects a lackof truly effective engagement with communities andin turn has a major impact on the confidence levelsand willingness to engage of these same communities.So too does the fact that people from black, Asian,minority and ethnic (BAME) communities aremassively under-represented in the workforce of thecriminal justice system, especially at senior levels.

Improved community engagement bycriminal justice agencies is essential if thisdisproportionality is to be addressed. However,whilst necessary, community engagement alone isunlikely to be sufficient in winning the confidenceof all communities unless backed up by a genuinecommitment on the part of all criminal justiceagencies to better understand the extent and causesof disproportionality. As a very minimum this meansthat criminal justice agencies, working as membersof their local criminal justice board, need to takeresponsibility for providing clear, comprehensive anddetailed demographic data including by ethnicity sothat the true picture of the extent of disproportionalitycan be understood and subsequently addressed.

Taking responsibility forengagementThrough taking responsibility in this way, criminaljustice agencies can demonstrate a real commitmentto engaging with the problems that communities arecurrently facing in their interactions with the criminaljustice service. Justice agencies can also demonstratetheir commitment to serving all sections of societythrough continuing to develop ways for communitiesto engage with their work and decision-makingprocesses.

Put simply, the criminal justice service needsto put communities at the heart of crime reduction,prevention and community safety policy. This is oneof the principles which is at the heart of the Mayor ofLondon's commitment to the Metropolitan Police's

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Safer Neighbourhoods programme, which willsee every council ward in the capital having a fullneighbourhood policing team in place by December2006, consisting of a minimum of one sergeant,two police constables and three police CommunitySupport Officers.

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are leading theway in ensuring the Metropolitan Police listen andrespond to the concerns of local people. By puttingcommunities at the heart of community safety,building in local accountability and focusing onprevention rather than cure, Safer NeighbourhoodsPolicing has at its core principles that will not onlyenable it to become an international model of goodpractice, but provides a victim focus and people-ledapproach which should be at the heart of the entirecriminal justice system.

Whilst I am greatly encouraged by the excellentwork being carried out by the police, by many youthoffending teams and other agencies, far more couldbe done to reconnect communities with the justiceprocess. All parts of the criminal justice systemneed to be working harder to connect with thecommunities they serve.

That is why I would like the Government to lookseriously at extending the principle of communitycourts to London, building on the pilot CommunityJustice Centre in North Liverpool which is alreadymaking a difference by listening to local peopleand giving them an opportunity to get involved inreducing local crime and anti-social behaviour. Atpresent, too often victims and witnesses are alienatedfrom the justice process and subject to a courtslottery, where when a case is heard is down moreto where someone lives than the demands of justice.I believe we need a new network of communityand specialist courts, where local communities areembraced by, and not alienated from, the justiceprocess.

There is also a need to ensure that voluntaryand community sector organisations, especiallythose representing communities that may currentlybe marginalised, have the capacity to engage withcriminal justice agencies and to participate in thejustice process. This is likely to require a sustainedprogramme of support for existing and emergingorganisations in order to ensure that hard-to-reachgroups are accessed and engaged with. There isa particular need to ensure that the voluntary andcommunity sectors are equipped to provide supportto victims of crime and to ex-offenders - twoparticularly vulnerable groups.

The way forwardWhilst the challenges faced in ensuring meaningfulcommunity engagement are considerable, theconsequences of not meeting these are severe. If thepolice, courts, probation, prisons and other justiceagencies fail to engage effectively then we will beunsuccessful not only in building confidence in thejustice system but also in building and maintaining

a safe and stable society. However, I believe we arebetter placed than ever before to make real progressand I am convinced that increasingly criminal justiceagencies are recognising the value that can be addedto their work through constructive communityengagement. The challenge now is to ensure thatreal progress is continued, and that all parts of thecriminal justice service take every opportunity towork together and with the communities that theyserve.

Lee Jasper is the Mayor of London's Director forEqualities and Policing.

Cjm no. 64 Summer 2006 13

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